After braces are removed, how long is the retainer worn? i know that i'll have to wear a retainer for some time after my braces are removed. how long do most people have to wear a retainer?

Our : Our normal protocol is retainer wear for the first year all the time, night time for the second year, and a few nights per week as long as you want the teeth to stay straight---usually forever.

Answer: : Answer: retainer wear time depends on the type of orthodontic treatment you receive, the nature of the original problem and the length of your orthodontic treatment.. However for the average comprehensive orthodontic treatment program, utilizing full braces on the upper and lower teeth and about 2 years of treatment duration, retainer wear on the upper and lower teeth after braces removal is typical at 24 hours per day for 1 year to be followed by wear 8 hours per day for the next 2 — 3 years. After 2 — 3 years of retainer wear you will have adequately retained the results of your orthodontic tooth movement. However it is always possible for teeth to move, this is especially true as we all get older and our teeth wear and change. Therefore keeping the retainers around to continue to check the teeth alignment is advisable so orthodontists encourage some type of retainer wear for the rest of the patient’s lifetime. Your orthodontist may prescribe a type of fixed (often called permanent) retainer. This is usually glued on the backside of the lower teeth and would therefore be worn 24 hours per day until it is removed, again this can be a lifetime commitment.

Retention is: Retention is a life-time commitment to periodic wear of retention devices. Teeth change throughout life, it's a naturally-occurring process. Wear retainers to hold only the teeth you want to keep straight . . . How about all of them?